How to Practice Vipassana Meditation (as taught by S.N. Goenka)

By braniac ; Updated September 29, 2017

Vipassana meditation is an effective and proven practice that strengthens the ability manage your emotions and thoughts and improves your ability to concentrate. Benefits of this cover every feasible aspect of your life, from you productivity at work to a greater ease with relating to other people, including friends and family. Vipassana meditation can be practiced by absolutely anyone, and the steps outlined below apply to both first time and advanced meditators. If you find the practice to be something that resonates with you it is highly recommended that you sign up for a free meditation retreat that will provide you with an environment to engage in the practice deeply and give you access to teachers who can explain the technique and its philosophy fully. For more information on a Vipassana meditation retreat see the resources section.

Once you have a strong foundation of Anapanasati meditation, seat yourself comfortably in a quiet room and begin your practice as normal.

With the same detached observation you apply in breath awareness, focus your attention to the crown of your head. Whatever sensations you feel, do not react. Do not try to feel sensations either. Observe the sensations with the same passive acceptance with which you observe your breath.

From the crown of your head slowly scan your attention over your entire body. Every part of your face and head. Your torso. Your limbs. Every part of your body. Passively observe sensations in each part, feeling no aversion or pleasure no matter what the sensation may be. Just observe equanimously. Scan your entire body until you have returned focus to the crown of your head. Then begin again for a new cycle.

When you are able to objectively observe the sensations throughout your body equanimously and with ease, continue the process of scanning, but allow your awareness to penetrate below the surface of your flesh. You will probably find this happening naturally as you become more focused in body scanning. Allow yourself to passively observe sensations in your muscles and bones. Within your nerves and veins. Within your vital organs. All with the same passive observance you learned to apply to your breath awareness. Allow no sensation to upset you - just understand that it shall logically and inevitably pass.

Allow yourself to be aware of all sensation in your entire body at once. The goal you are focusing towards is the complete awareness of all sensation in your body without the necessity of practicing body scan. Observe this entire body of sensation passively, objectively, not feeling aversion to gross sensations, not feeling desire for pleasant sensations, accepting that all sensation, logically, inevitably, shall pass.

Establish a daily practice ritual. The ideal routine would involve sitting for one hour each morning and one hour each evening. If you make the effort to incorporate this practice into your daily routine you will be surprised with how easy it becomes to meditate without feeling like you're sacrificing too much time. As benefits from meditation increase, you will also notice a greater amount of productivity in your daily life that makes up for the time you're "losing" in meditation. Ultimately, devotion to a meditation regime grants you more time, improves your emotional well-being, your relationships and every feasible aspect of your life.